SS - 1

Stumbling with drunken steps, Juhyeok entered the house. He was so drunk that he didn’t even notice the darkness inside.

“Don’t turn on the lights.”

Seeing him reach for the light switch, Sena stopped him.

“What? You haven’t been sleeping?”

“Yes.”

“Go to bed first.”

He staggered toward the living room where she was, collapsing heavily onto the carpet.

The strong smell of alcohol made her frown. There was no way they could have a proper conversation in this state.

Or maybe that was for the best.

“How did it go? Can you fix it?”

“...Is it something that can be fixed?”

He asked back with a blank look on his face.

“You said it wasn’t true, right? Didn’t you dream of being a journalist who tells the truth?”

“No matter what I say, people don’t want to know the truth. The image that’s already been built up is engraved in their minds, and they don’t even try to listen to my voice.”

His words came out in a tone of resignation, a tone he would have never used in the past.

“After all, you’re no different from the other media outlets. You’ve given in to power and money, and the truth doesn’t matter.”

Juhyeok lifted his head and looked at her.

She could see the pain slowly creeping across his face, illuminated by the moonlight. He hadn’t expected her to hurt him like this.

Her face, looking at him, was cold.

“So, you’re disappointed in me?”

The brokenness in his voice reflected his feelings.

“I’ve been watching to see how far you’d go to save KMS.”

She continued, pretending not to notice his expression or his voice.

“You’re no different from the father you hate so much. Oh, there is one difference. At least your father is the one doing the controlling.”

“I’m sorry for disappointing you.”

Slowly, Juhyeok got up from his seat.

Perhaps the alcohol had worn off, as his steps were firm as he took a step back.

“But what can I do? This is who I am. No matter how much you fight against it, you can’t undo what’s already broken.”

Shock faded from his voice, and anger took its place.

“Do you want me to abandon my family and my company?”

“Don’t make excuses, it’s disgusting.”

“Stop.”

He turned his back.

“I thought everyone would criticize me, but you... I thought you would believe in me.”

A faint sobbing sound reached Sena’s ears.

Is he crying, Juhyeok?

She bit her lip hard.

The pain from her already bruised lip surged, but what hurt more was the tearing in her heart.

“I almost fell for your sweet talk of love.”

Heavier than air, the words fell with a tremble, and Juhyeok entered the bedroom, slamming the door shut.

“Huh.”

Sena tried to stifle her sobs, covering her mouth with her palm.

Well done, Kang Sena. You did well. For him, and for me.

She had made a resolution long ago: she would never be hurt again, no matter who it was for. She wouldn’t let herself be the one to get hurt.

And all of this was for both herself and Juhyeok.

Just as the knife had pierced his heart, a similar wound had formed in hers, but it couldn’t be helped. The only path left to choose was this one.

Did you do what you wanted? Is it done now?

Sena grabbed her phone and sent the message. It wasn’t long before she received a reply.

Good.

Damn it.

She had an urge to curse, but she held it back. She couldn’t let Juhyeok hear her curses or her cries.

Now, there was only one thing left to do: disappear from Juhyeok’s side forever.

Whether it was lingering affection or obsession, her feelings were so tangled that she couldn’t bring herself to leave right away. Only after the pale dawn light started to seep through the window did she rise from the sofa.

The wound from Juhyeok’s words hurt far more than any physical injury. He would never know that she had asked him not to turn on the light to hide this pain, not until the day she died.

She neatly rearranged the divorce papers on the table, grabbed the suitcase she had packed earlier, and left the house.

This was really the end with Choi Juhyeok.

Three months ago.

Sena checked the time on her phone, placed on the table. There were still about ten minutes left until the appointed time.

She reached into her large bag on the chair beside her and pulled out a small pouch. From it, she took out a powder compact. Her reflection in the tiny mirror revealed an unfamiliar face with no emotion.

After checking her eyes and lips, she put the compact back in the pouch and tossed it back into her bag.

“Would you like to order?”

A waitress in a neat white blouse and dark gray vest approached and asked.

“I’ll wait for my companion to arrive before ordering.”

Sena answered with a face devoid of any smile, and the waitress nodded before walking away.

The café on the 4th floor of the Millennium Hotel in downtown Seoul was the meeting place for today’s appointment.

Since it was a newly built hotel, she had expected the usual paint smell of a new building, but there was no such scent. Instead, a subtle eucalyptus fragrance filled the air, refreshing her senses.

The worry about inadvertently provoking the man she was meeting by making a comment or showing a facial expression due to a strange smell disappeared completely.

“Do well.”

The stern face of her father, looking down at her with a stiff expression, flashed in her mind, making her frown unconsciously.

“Kang Sena?”

A slight shadow fell over the table, and a low voice came from above. When she looked up, a tall man with broad shoulders, his suit accentuating his frame, was looking down at her.

“Am I late?”

Noticing the tension in her face, the handsome man tilted his head slightly, concerned.

“No, it’s not that.”

Sena stood up slightly from her seat to greet the man.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Choi Juhyeok.”

“Kang Sena.”

“I can’t lie and say I’ve heard a lot about you.”

As Juhyeok sat down in the seat opposite Sena, he spoke.

It was an inappropriate comment for a first meeting, especially one arranged by their parents for an arranged marriage.

Sena briefly lifted her gaze from the back of her hand resting on her knee, and this time Juhyeok slightly furrowed his brows.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Yes.”

At her response, he raised his hand to call over the waitress who had been watching them from nearby. The waitress’s face looked brighter now than when Sena had been sitting alone earlier.

Was it because Juhyeok was handsome? Or was it the relief that the customer wasn’t planning to sit there doing nothing and would actually place an order?

“What would you like to drink?”

“An Americano, please.”

At her answer, Juhyeok closed the menu he was holding with a soft snap.

“I’ll have the same,” he said, handing the menu back to the waitress and briefly watching her retreating figure.

“You must be surprised by this sudden arrangement.”

Juhyeok placed one hand on the table, which was covered with a white cloth, and continued.

“If this is a marriage you don’t want, please tell me. If you don’t like me, I’ll let the adults know, and we won’t proceed with it.”

The implied meaning behind his words slightly rubbed Sena the wrong way.

Of course, she didn’t want this arrangement, nor did she want the marriage that would follow. If she could, she desperately wanted to get up and leave this place immediately.

But she couldn’t.

Even if Juhyeok, in his haughty posture with his head slightly raised, was saying he would tell everyone that she rejected him, it wasn’t a situation where her pride could be hurt.

“I don’t want it, but...”

“...But?”

“It’s something I can’t avoid.”

“Ah.”

With a single word of admiration, Juhyeok conveyed that he understood everything.

Sena didn’t blush out of embarrassment, nor did she show any anger about this miserable situation. She spoke in a monotone.

Her calm response seemed to leave an impression, as a faint smile appeared on his lips for the first time, showing some emotion or sentiment toward her.

On the other hand, the tall, well-built, handsome man, with his deep voice, exuded a dazzling allure. Yet, Sena looked at him with no special feelings. Her gaze toward the man she would soon marry in a few months was strikingly indifferent.

It couldn’t be helped. It wasn’t a marriage based on love, and even if she hated it, she had to marry him.

He was too handsome, too striking to be viewed with indifference. But still, she didn’t like him.

“What do you do?”

“I work at a psychological counseling center.”

Finally, a conversation worthy of a first meeting took place.

“A psychological counseling center? Are you a counselor?”

“Yes.”

“That’s unusual.”

In reality, there was nothing unusual about her—she was just an ordinary person. So, Sena lowered her gaze back to her lap.

“What do you do, Choi Juhyeok?”

“Do you know KMS News?”

“Korea Morning Standard?”

“You know it well.”

Of course she did.

Anyone in South Korea who had commuted by subway for nearly the past decade would know KMS. It had started as a free newspaper available at subway stations and was now about to expand into TV channels.

“I’m the CEO there.”

“Sorry?”

Sena blinked, her large eyes widening in surprise as she struggled to connect Juhyeok’s words with the scale of KMS News.

“Is that really so surprising?”

“No... It’s just that you’re so young to be the CEO of a media company.”

It was also surprising that such a person was her match for an arranged marriage.

Suddenly, a thought that didn’t quite make sense popped into her head, and she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

When her father had mentioned that she was meeting the son of someone who helped his company today, she had assumed the man would be someone from a more traditional business background.

But the son of someone who had taken on a debtor’s daughter as a guarantee and was now the CEO of a media company? The gap between the two was so wide that she didn’t know how to react.

“I guess I am especially young.”

Fortunately, Juhyeok didn’t seem to notice that Sena’s surprise came from a different reason. He simply gave her a deep smile.